The Simple (and not revolutionary) Key To Financial Success

It’s motivation day at Stacking Benjamins. I’ve been in a funk and only recently snapped out. This is how:

Lately, I’ve been down. It seems that no matter how hard I run, there are bigger and faster goals to meet. I’m behind on my reading. The podcast is constantly asking for more of my time and this blog could be so, so, so much more.

Then I read this article from Rob Asghar at Forbes. I know it’s from before Thanksgiving….see paragraph above. This is a great dose of reality about how lucky we are and how this is the best time ever to be building a life and career.

This Is True With Financial Planning

I found as a financial planner that people would get a bad case of the “I don’ts” about their current situation. You know what I’m talking about:

I don’t like my debt.
I don’t know enough about the markets
I don’t pay attention to my money enough
I don’t automate my financial picture
I don’t have regular meetings to check my stuff

If you read the Asghar article, though, didn’t it change your perspective? It seems that all we need to start making changes is simple:

Start.

We don’t have to finish. We don’t have to be perfect. We just have to start.

This weekend I’m running my 10th marathon. When I tell people that, the general response is, “Wow, really? That’s amazing.” It really isn’t. I’m not bashing myself, but here’s what I did:

I decided to run regularly
I found a group of like-minded people
I signed up for my first half marathon, then my first marathon
I kept going

Do I love it? While it has it’s days, I’m increasingly dissatisfied with running. Once I finish this marathon, I’m going to begin core work. Guess how that’s going to go?

I’ll do core work regularly
I’ll find a group of like-minded people
I’ll find ways to hold myself accountable regularly
I’ll keep going

See that? Success is about systems, and now that I’ve found one that works.

But first, step one, was to start.

Tony Robbins Nailed It: Deciding Is The Key To Success

In his classic book Awaken The Giant Within, Tony Robbins says you don’t have to move mountains to change your life. You just need to decide. I know that sounds pollyanna, but it’s true. Once you decide, you’ll win.

Deciding, however, is a much bigger act than you think it is. Deciding means that you’re going to push through challenges. It means that you’re going to now work differently. Deciding, instead of hoping, will not only help you get rid of the downs in your attitude, but it’ll put you back in charge.

What do I mean?

It’s simple. When you spend time thinking about all of the things you aren’t doing you’re not creating, you’re drowning in pity. That will never help you go anywhere. You aren’t in the driver’s seat….your pity is. By actually deciding to do something, you’re taking action.

So, what are you going to do differently with your money today than you did yesterday?

Photo:  Matti Mattila